Mulled Wine Braised Beef

Ingredients

• 600g Perrystone Meats Diced Beef
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 star anise
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 5 medium carrots, peeled and cut into chunky 1cm pieces
• 5 celery sticks, cut into chunky 1cm pieces
• 750 ml bottle of red wine
• 1/2 orange
• 1 beef stock cube, made up to 150ml
• 3 sprigs of thyme
• 250g chestnut mushrooms
• 1.25kg Maris Pier potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
• 50g butter
• 50-75ml milk

Method

1. Season the beef with salt and the paprika. Heat the oil in a casserole pan (with a lid) over a medium-high heat. Add the beef and fry for 7 mins or until golden brown and crispy. Transfer the beef to a separate dish and set aside.
2. Put the tomato purée to the pan and fry for 1 min until darker in colour, then add the cinnamon, star anise and nutmeg. Cook this for 1 min more. Add the carrots and celery and cook for 3-5 mins, then return the beef to the pan. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Add the stock, stir and reduce the heat to low; stir in the orange half and thyme. Place the lid on the pan and leave to cook for 2 hrs, stirring occasionally, or until the beef is tender and pulls apart easily. Add the mushrooms to the pan for the final half an hour of cooking.
3. Once tender, check the sauce. If it’s too runny, increase the heat and reduce the liquid to a glossy sauce that coats the beef. Take off the heat and remove the whole spices, orange and thyme.
4. Meanwhile, bring a pan of water to the boil, add the potatoes and cook for 15-20 mins until a knife passes easily through. Drain, leave to steam-dry for 1 min, then return to the pan with the butter and mash until smooth. Fold through enough milk to get a smooth, fluffy consistency.
5. Serve the mulled wine beef with the mash and steamed cabbage.

Tip: If the stew looks a little thin, mix 2 tbsp of cornflour with 2 tbsp cold water and add to the stew towards the end of cooking to thicken.